Lighter.



A. R. BLUM.

LIGHTER.

APPLIOATION HLHD Nov.. ze, 191s.

l 896% Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

' TTORNEYS.

purpose, and can be conveniently folded up .and carried in the pocketwhen not in use.

.open and for actuating the lighting device.

' construction isthat if the handle is suddenly ANDREAS n. BLUM, oFNEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

LIGHTER.

Speecation of Letters Patent. Application led November 26, 1913. SerialNo. 803,091.

Patented Aug. 25, 1914.

To all whom t may concern: y

Be itv known that I, ANDREAS R. BLUM, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Newark, county of Essex, and State of New Jersey, haveinvented certainnew and useful Improvements in Lighters, of Which thefollowing is 'a specification.

This invention relates to a lighter, and While it can be of any size, itis particularly 'adapted for a pocket lighter, that is, the type oflighter that can be utilized for the lighting of cigars and the like,orfor any The particular object of the invention is to provide a compactand safe lighter, the preferred form being made in the shape of a Watch,the handle of the lighter projecting does the stem of a watch, thishandle loe-A ing utilized both for permitting the lid to The lighter isso constructed that the lid, which springs open when released, is freefrom its latch at a comparatively slight movement of the handle or stem,and Aa further considerable movement of the handle actuates vthelighting device. This necessitates but one motion of the handle to openthe lid and to operate the lighting device, but successive movements canbe given to the lighting device, in case the first trial does not causeenough spark, Without again closing the lid. A.Another-advantage of thispushed While the device is in the pocket,' it probably might move enoughto open the lid, but there would not be.- an appreciable operation ofthelighting or sparking devic which is an advantage over the form oflighter in which the release 'of the lid completes the lightingoperation by reason of the lid flying open. This old type of lighternecessitates a closing of the lid on cach trial of ignition andsimilarly, each release of the lid causes a completion of the operationof the lighting device.

The invention is designed to provide a. lighter of substantially fiatform, being preferably shaped to resemble a Watch, and has a partitionto divide it into ilat compartments, one of which is adaptedto hold thefuel, and the other, which is closed by the main lid, is constructed tohold the lighting device, Whichdevice is illustrated in this case as oneof the type embodying a sparkthe lid open.

ing yWheel Which bears onV a strip of hardl material whereby theirfriction causes .sparks to fly from their juncture in the direction ofthe Wick.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which-Figure 1 is a top view of the lighter with Fig. 2 is a section, lookingupward, taken on line 2,'2, in Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3, 3,in Fig. l, with the lighting device shown in elevation.

The, invention comprises a casing with the side 10 which is annular,although it is not confined to any particular shape, and hinged at 11,on the top thereof, is the lid 1Q. The back 13 is removable and is heldin place in any usual Way, the illustration showing the snapedge 14Which permits the snapping of the back into place, as is the case inWatches, whereby the back can be removed to permit access to the chamber15, this chamber 15 being ay fuel chamber formed by the partition 16Which is a plate extending across the casing and providing means forpreventing the leaking of fuel from the chamber 15. The fuel chamber ispreferably flled, as is usual in this type of lighter, with anabsorbent, such as cotton, and has a Wick 17 which extends up through atube 18 and has its end 19 emerging from the top of the tube to providefor its ignition.

Forming a proper support for the sparking by a spring 24. Rotatable withthe sparki ing Wheel 20 is a ratchet-wheel 25 which is engaged by atoothed rack 26 pivoted at one end, as at 27, to one arm 28 of abell-crank 29, the bell-crank being pivoted at 30 so that it swings on'one corner, being held in its normal position by a spring-3l Which canlbe suitably disposed so as to move the bellcrank to its normal positionwhen itis released. The arm 32 of the bell-crank is ar-l ranged in linewith the end of the stem vwhich projects from the casing. The end of thestem ma be of any usual construction to engage t e face 33 o f the arm32, but I prefer to equip the end of the l,stem with a roller .34mounted inthe end of the stem 35,

the stem thus formin a handle which emerges -from the side o the casingthrough the erown 36 and thus resembles the crown of a watch. A ring 37can be placed in the crown to provide for they holding and -suspensionof the lighter. v

On the inner end of the stem or handle 35 is a latch 38 which engagesthe lid 12, vpreferably'by means of a recess 39, although any other wayof attaching the latch and the lid can be used. The latch is so disposedthat .When thc handle is pressed in a slight distance the latch 38releases the lid which is swung o en by a suitable spring 40. As the hanle is pushed in still farther, the roller 34, bearing against the face33 of the bell-crank, swings the bell-crank and ulls the rack 26 so thatthe ratchet 25 an the sparking wheel 21 are rotated so that sparks aredirected from the contact of the block 23 and the wheel 21 onto the end19 of the wick. The bent up portion 41 of the top plate forms a housingfor covering the inward travelof the latch and also makes a betterfinish by concealing the end of the bell-crank from observation from thetop.

If a lighter of this type. is accidentally opened by pressure on thehandle while it is 'in the pocket, the lid might be opened,

but nothing further would result, as there would be no danger of theopenin of the lid causing the operation of the ighting device, sincethey are separate. This makes a more desirable lighter than the old typein which, when the lid is released, the 11d, by completing its opening,causes the ignition of the wick. It will also be noted that when thislighter is operated and fails to light on the first trial, the handlecan be repeatedly pushed in without closing the lid eachtime.' l

The device can be cheaply made and its operation is assured on accountof its simplicity. l

, I do not wish to be understood as limiting myself to the particularlighting device shown in the drawing, nor to thev aroperating mechanismfor the lighting device, and a handle operatively connected to the'latch'and to the operating mechanism in such a lmanner that a slight movementvof vthe handle releases the latch and a further movement ofthe handle-actuates the operating mechanism.v

2. A lighter comprising a casing of substantially flat form, aplatemounted in the casing and havin a passage therethrough for a wick, alighting device mounted above the plate, an operating mechanism for thelighting device, a handle adapted to actuate the. operating mechanismand projecting from the side .of the casing, a spring for normallyholding the handle and the oper-l atingl mechanism in inoperativeposition, a

'spring fornormally forcing the lid open,

and a latch mounted on the handle and adapted to hold the lid shut, thelatch being so disposed that it releases thle lid when the handle isoperated but before the handle has traveled a distance sufficient tocause an appreciable movement of the operating mechanism.

3. A lighter comprising a casing of substantially fiat form, a lid onthe top of the casing and having means for normally swinging it open, aplate arranged horizontally in the lcasing forming, with the casing, areservoir for fuel, an ignition point above the plate and connected w1ththe reservoir, a sparking device von the plate adjacent to the ignitionpoint, an operating means above the plate and adapted to actuate thesparking device, a handle sliding in the side of the casing, a latch onthe handle and engaging thelid to release the lid onv a slight movementof the handle, and an anti-friction connection between the handle andthe operating mechanism for actuating said mechanism when the handle ismoved beyond the releasing point of the latch'.

4.- A lighter comprising a casing, a rotatable sparking wheel in thecasing, a bellcrank arranged to swing in the casing, an

Aoperative connection between oneend of the bell-crank and the sparkingwheel to cause the rotation of the sparking wheel when the bell-crank isswung, spring means for forcing the bell-crank to its normal position,and a handle connected to the bell-crank and projecting from the side ofthe casing and in sliding relation thereto.

5. A lightercomprising a casing, a rotatable sparking wheel in thecasing, a bell' crank arranged to swing in the casing, an operativeconnection between one end of the bell-crank and the sparking wheel tocause the 4rotation of the sparking wheel when the bell-crank is swung,spring means for forcing the bell-crank to its normal position, a handleconnected to the bell-crank and projecting from the side of the casingand in slidingrelation thereto, a lid.. on the casing, and a latchsecured to the handle, said latch being adapted to normally hold the lidshut.

6. A lighter comprising a casing, a sparking wheel rotatably mountedinside the casing, a ratchet connected to the sparking wheel, abell-crank swinging in the easing, a toothed rack pivotally secured atone end to one arm of the bell-crank, said rack en- Iso gaging with theratchet, a spring for forcing the bell-crank to its normal position, anda handle sliding in the side of the casing and having its. inner endengaging one face of the bell-crank whereby when the handle is pushedthe bell-crank is swung.

7 A lighter comprising a casin a sparking wheel rotatably mounted insidethe casing, a ratchetI connected to the sparking wheel, a bell-crankswinging in the casing, a toothed rack pivotally secured at one end toone arm. of the bell-crank, said rack en gaging with the ratchet, aspring for forcmg the bell-crank to its normal poition, a

handle sliding in the vside of the casing and having its inner end.engaging one face of the bell-crank whereby when the handle is pushedthe bell-crank 1s swung, a lid on the ANDREAS R. BLUM.

Witnesses: l

M. A. JOHNSON, `WM. H. CAMFmw.

